Safety-shot device.



' No. 678,593. Patented luly I6; 190:.

, A. E. TRIPP.

SAFETY SHOT DEVICE.

(Application filed Nov. 19, 1900.)

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. WITNESSES TQET PATENT ALBERT E. TRIPP, OF CASTLETON, INDIANA.

SAFETY-SHOT DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part'of Letters Patent N9. 678,593, dated July 16, 1901. Application filed November 19, 1900. Serial No. 36,491. (No model.)

To all whom, 2325 may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT E. TRIPP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Castleton, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in' Safety-Shot Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a tion.

This invention relates to devices which are designed to be made use of in accomplishing that which is commonly designated as shooting oil-wells, such devices being known as go-devils among well-drillers.

The object of the invention is to providea safety device of this character which may be cheaply manufactured and which may be employed reliably and efficiently for the purpose of causing an explosion of a charge at the bottom of a well.

My invention consists in a hollow vessel in which a charge-of explosive material may be confined and in which percussion-caps may be held and exploded within the charge of explosive, thereby causing an explosion of the same in order to insure a positive explosion of the charge in the bottom of the well; and the invention includes means whereby said caps may be retained and exploded simultaneously with the contact of the vessel with the cap upon the main charge in the well.

The invention consists also in the parts and combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter particularly described, and pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view in elevation, Fig. 2 a top end view, and Fig. 3 a bottom end view, of my invention; Fig. 4, a transverse sectional view taken on a line X X in Fig. 12; Fig. 5, a vertical central sectional view of a packing-nut, and Fig. 6 a bottom plan view of the same; Fig. 7 a vertical central sectional view of the pointpiece, and Fig. 8 a top plan view of the same which forms the (operatively) lower end of the device; Fig. 9, a transverse sectional view of portions of the device, taken on a line Y Y part of this specificain Fig. 10; Fig. 10, a fragmentary vertical central sectional view of portions of the internal devices on an enlarged scale, showing percussion-caps in position; Fig. 11, a fragmentary detail view showing the cap-guiding sheath in central vertical section and the capholde rs and exploding-rams therein, and Fig. 12 a vertical central sectional view showing the principal internal details of construction and the devices inclosed therein. Y

Similar reference-letters in the several figures of the drawings designate like parts.

The main parts being shown in the vertical positions in which they operate, the relative terms applied to portions of the structure will be understood as referring to them in their relationsas they appear herein, a being the lower end and b the upper end of the vessel. In construction I provide a main vessel A, which may be termed a shell, preferably of cast-iron of somewhat-elongated form, of suitable dimensions to adapt itto the diameter and depth of well in which it is designed to be dropped. It should combine considerable weight in its structure, and it has a suitable number of exterior guide-Wings 13, extending longitudinally with the shell, so as to be vertical in the well, either three or four wings being desirable. The vessel is substantially hollow originally, but has a bridge 0 extending transversely across the bore between two opposite sides, but not entirely closing or interrupting the practical continuity of the bore. Below the bridge the chamber 6 is preferably of greater diameter than the diameter of the chamber f above the bridge. The bridge serves as a base or foundation for and supports a downwardlyprojecting stud D, which serves as an anvil against which to explode a percussion-cap. In the lower end of the shell A are screwthreads h, and a point-piece E, having external screw-threads i, is fitted into the bore of the shell, the threads retaining the same. The point-piece has a nut-like base and a somewhat-conically-formed extremity j in the base, there being a packing-box it, having screw-threads Z, and the whole has a bore 10, extending from the bottom of the packingbox to the extremity of the point. Packing m is placed in the box it and is pressed by the packing-nut F, which has screw-threads '17,, engaging the threads I, and a bore q, corresponding in diameter to and in alinement with the bore 19. The packing box and nut are thus inclosed in the vessel; but obviously I may accomplish the desired result by plac ing the packing devices at the exterior of the vessel or within the conical portion of the pointpiece. The nutF has flat faces 1", adapting it for being operated by a wrench.

A secondary ram 11 and a similar but longer primary ram G, placed together endwise in alinement, extend from the lower end of the stud D through the bores in the packing nut and box and the bore in the point-piece and project slightly below the extremity 7' In some cases I may employ but one ram G of suitable length but I prefer two, as described, in order to multiply the number of caps which may be used with a greater certainty of effectiveness. Apcrcussion-cap may be placed upon the upper end of the ram G, (when made of proper length,) so as to be exploded against the stud D, or, as shown, a cap J may be placed upon the upper end G of the ram G, another cap K upon the lower end H of the ram H in contact also with the cap J, and still another cap I. upon the upper end H of the ram H in contact also with the lower end D of the stud D. The ends of the rams for receiving and holding the caps, as G, H, and 1-1 are preferably of less diameter than the body portions of the rams, which are preferably cylindrical and slightly greater in diameter than the external diameter of a percussion-cap to be applied thereto, and the rams are kept in alinement and with the stud D and the caps maintained in proper positions for effective contact by means of a cap-guiding sheath 1, which is of tubular form, preferably of thin brass structure, and of a diameter to easily slide over the caps and rams and also the stud D and of suitable length to extend from the packing-nut F nearly to the bridge 0 and normally rests upon the top of the packing-nut F or that portion which practically forms the lower inclosing. end of the vessel.

One or more of the wings B has an aperture d therein, near the upper end thereof, in which a bar or a hook may be inserted for lifting and handling the device.

In order to complete the device for operation, it is obviously assumed that the whole of the chambers e f are filled with a liquid explosive material including the interior of the sheath I, and such material is not represented for the reason that a multiplicity of lines would prove confusing and detract from the clearness of the view of the mechanical features of construction. In some cases, however, it may be desirable to fill only the lower chamber 8 withfthe explosive material. It being a well-known practice to fill cartridgeshells with explosive material, it is obvious that in the present case I may employ a granular or a fibrous material in lieu of a liquid.

In practical use the vessel or shell A may manner, avoiding concussion.

be placed either in an inverted position or horizontally and (the point-piece E having been removed) the sheath I inserted, so that its inner end slides over the stud D, the certainty of which may be determined either by the eye or by the sense of touch. A cap may then be placed on the holding ends of the ram H and inserted in the sheath in a careful The ram G may then be supplied with a cap and inserted in the point-piece E and the packing m and the nut F applied and adjusted, so that the ram may be frictionally held against accidental movement, but permitting free movement under gentle force. having the cap thereon may then be inserted in the sheath I, after which the point-piece E may be attached to the end a of the shell and the ram G be properly adjusted longitudinally. The device as a whole may then be suitably supported in a perpendicular posi tion, the upper end of the chamber f being open and a charge of explosive (such as nitroglycerin) placed in the chambers cf and the latter closed by a plug, such as cork. The vessel and its contents may then be dropped into a well-tube, (the bottom of which is assumed to have been properly charged with a high explosive,) and when the point t of the ram G strikes the cap at the bottom of the well the caps and the charge within the shell will explode and cause sufficient concussion not only to destroy the vessel, but to set off the charge in the well, whether or not the same would have been exploded by the impact of the point t on the cap at the top of the charge in the well, thus at a trifling expense insuring an explosion of the main charge and obviating the great annoyance and expense occasioned by failures to produce such explosion.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A safety-shot device including a vessel having a chamber therein, an anvil in the chamber, a cap-holder in the chamber, a cap on the holder, a ram for exploding the cap, and a removable point-piece projecting from one end of the vessel and engaging the ram.

2. A safety-shot device including a substantially hollow vessel, an anvil rigidly supported within the vessel, a guiding-sheath movable over the anvil and engaging the same, a cap-holder in the sheath, and a ram entering the sheath and extending to the exterior of the vessel whereby a cap on the holder may be exploded against the anvil within the sheath.

3. A safety-shot device including a vessel having a chamber therein, a removable pointpiece at one end of the vessel having an aperture communicating with the chamber, an anvil in the chamber, a cap-holder in the chamber, and a ram extending from the chamber through the aperture in the point-piece and supported therein.

The end of the ram G s l. A safety-shot device including a hollow vessel, a removable pointpiece, a bridge within the vessel, a stud projecting from the bridge, a ram supported frictionally by the point-piece, a percussion-cap supported by the ram, and a guiding-sheath extending over the cap and portions of the stud and the ram.

5. A safety-shot device including a vessel or shell having a chamber therein, a bridge in the chamber, an anvil in the chamber, a cap-holder in the chamber, a guiding-sheath for the cap-holder, a point-piece removably attached to one end of the vessel, a ram extending from the guiding-sheath through the point-piece, and a packing for the ram.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with the hollow vessel having the external wings, of the internal bridge, the anvil supported by the bridge, the removable point-piece, the primary ram extending through the point-piece, the packing in the point-piece retaining the ram slidingly, the cap supported by the ram, the guidingsheath extending over portions of the anvil and the ram, the secondary ram situate between the primary ram and the anvil Within the sheath, the caps retained by the ends of the secondary ram, and a charge of explosive material situate about the caps, substantially as set forth.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a vessel or shell having exterior guide-wings,a removable point-piece, an internal anvil, a cap-holder, a cap on the holder, and a removable ram extending through the removable point-piece to the cap, substantially as set forth.

8. In a device of the character described,

the anvil supported by the bridge, the removable point piece, the ram extending through the point-piece, the packing in the point-piece retaining the ram slidingly, the cap supported by the ram, the guiding-sheath extending over portions of the anvil and the ram, and a charge of explosive material situate about the cap, substantially as set forth.

10. In a device of the character described, the combination of the vessel having the chamber extending therethrough, the bridge in the chamber, the anvil, the guiding-sheath, the ram having a cap-holder at one end thereof, the cap on the cap-holder, the removable point-piece having the packing-box at the inner end thereof, the packing in said box, the packing-nut in said box, and an explosive charge, situate about said cap Within said sheath, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ALBERT E. TRIPP.

Witnesses:

WM. I-I. PAYNE, E. T. SILvIUs. 

